School systems across Maryland are looking for qualified bus drivers, and the shortage has become a problem for Howard County very early in the school year.More than 40,000 students take the bus to school in Howard County."Some of our buses may be delayed during either the morning run or the afternoon runs because of our shortage," said David Ramsay, the district's director of transportation.Ramsay believes he knows why drivers are so hard to come by."We're really attributing that to how well our economy is doing. When the economy is not doing well, we have an abundance of drivers. We are just not experiencing that at this time," Ramsay said.Rasmay said Howard County is also competing for drivers with nearby Baltimore, Prince George's and Montgomery counties."Most of our bus drivers are running two to three routes," said Ellen Flynn, a member of the Howard County Board of Education.Some members of the Board of Education have said the math is simple when it comes to covering bus routes crowded with extra students."We're still the fastest-growing county in Maryland. We are growing at a rate of 2 percent, so we have around 1,200 new students again this year," Flynn said.The county is under contract with 44 private bus companies.The district is taking to Twitter and Facebook to try and reach new applicants. Tap here to find out more about bus-driver jobs in Howard County, and how you can apply.Get the WBAL-TV News App

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. —

School systems across Maryland are looking for qualified bus drivers, and the shortage has become a problem for Howard County very early in the school year.